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Summary: Implementing DMARC (Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) in Microsoft 365 is crucial to enhance email security. This protocol checks email authenticity and instructs receiving servers on handling failed authentication emails. This guide outlines the steps to create and publish DMARC records, strengthening your email security in Microsoft 365. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of backing up Microsoft 365 mailbox data using Kernel Office 365 Backup & Restore to safeguard against email threats.

To secure email communication, organizations using Exchange Server must prioritize DMARC implementation to thwart phishing attacks and domain spoofing. With the widespread adoption of Microsoft 365 for business emails, ensuring robust security while sending emails through Office 365 or custom domains is essential. This comprehensive guide aims to assist in configuring DMARC records within Microsoft 365, making it imperative for users to familiarize themselves with the protocol beforehand.

DMARC (Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)

TDMARC, or Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance, is a pivotal authentication protocol verifying the legitimacy of emails originating from specific domains. It encompasses a record containing guidelines for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft. Think of this record as the rulebook for DMARC implementation published within your DNS as a plain text file. The DMARC Analyzer allows for the creation of custom records. Domain administrators leverage these records to direct receiving servers on how to handle emails that fail authentication tests.

Using this record, domain administrators can redirect emails to the spam folder if those sent from a particular domain fail authentication tests. DMARC elevates security beyond SPF (Sender Policy Framework) by necessitating SPF or DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) authentication to successfully pass its checks.

Setup DMARC for Microsoft 365

To implement this protocol for Microsoft 365, you need to go through several stages, which involve creating a DMARC record, publishing it in DNS, and then taking the necessary actions after analyzing the reports.

Creating a DMARC record

It is the first step of implementing the DMARC in your Microsoft 365. To create a record, you must follow the below steps:

  • First, identify the email domain from which you send business emails.
  • Sign in to your DMARCLY dashboard, go to DNS records -> Publish DMARC record. You will see that the default record has already been created. You can create your own record from there.DNS records and Publish DMARC record
Publish DMARC record

You can publish either the default record or create your own, but please note that it may take up to an hour for the changes to be effective. Additionally, on this page, you have the option to configure policies in the “customize your settings” section, allowing you to instruct receiving servers on how to handle specific emails that fail the DMARC authentication test.

Publishing these records is crucial to ensure they translate into the intended actions. When an email is received, the receiving server extracts the domain from the sender’s email address. Subsequently, it verifies the DNS records associated with the domain to determine the appropriate course of action.
To publish the DMARC record, please follow the steps outlined below:

  • Log in to the admin center of Microsoft 365 using the global administrator credentials.
  • After that, select Domains from the settings menu.Select Domains
  • Next, select desired Microsoft 365 domain by searching the specific domain in the menu. After selecting the desired domain for DMARC implementation, you will be redirected to a page where you will be instructed on how DNS settings must setup to run Microsoft 365 services effectively.select desired Microsoft 365 domain
  • Finally, you must wait for sometimes to publish your record into your Microsoft 365 DNS. It should be noted that the specific process may take upto 72 hours.

Conclusion

If you use Microsoft 365 services, it is crucial to protect against various email-based threats like phishing attacks and domain spoofing. To achieve this, configuring DMARC authentication in Microsoft 365 is essential for authenticating emails and potentially blocking sender domains. This protocol provides a reliable option to enhance the secure Office 365 mailboxes. It implements policies that assist domain administrators in verifying legitimate domains.

If you plan to set up this protocol for your Microsoft 365 account, it’s highly recommended to keep a backup of your Microsoft 365 mailbox data. One excellent solution for this is the “Kernel Office 365 Backup & Restore” tool. This innovative tool can efficiently back up your private mailboxes, archive mailboxes, shared mailboxes, public folders, and Microsoft 365 groups. It also provides the flexibility to save backup data in various formats, including PST, DOCX, DOC, and HTML. This tool streamlines the backup process with its built-in CSV file support and offers smart filters to select only the necessary data for backup.